Political Wisdom: Bachmann Brings Tea Party into the Capitol

The tea party movement is stirring the nation’s political pot again today, this time because Rep. Michele Bachmann, a Minnesota Republican, is about to hold the first meeting of a “Tea Party Caucus” of House members she is creating.

That brings the tea party movement officially into the halls of government, of course, and Luke Russert of MSNBC’s First Read notes that the move puts Republican leaders in a tough spot:

The caucus has presented a sort of conundrum for many Republicans. While they want to tap into the energy and excitement that the Tea Party brings, they would rather not deal with some of the out of the mainstream positions that come along with some in the Tea Party.

GOP members are now in the process of deciding whether or not they will join the Tea Party Caucus….Bachmann did not bother to inform the GOP leadership that she was going to start the Tea Party Caucus. GOP leadership aides have strongly hinted to NBC News that they were less than pleased at its creation.

With the official formation of a congressional Tea Party Caucus, Rep. Michele Bachmann has thrust an existential question before House Republican leaders: Are you in or are you out? Indiana’s Mike Pence, chairman of the Republican Conference, was adamant. “You betcha,” he said, deploying a Minnesota catch phrase. But Minority Leader John Boehner won’t have his name on the caucus list.

And Virginia Rep. Eric Cantor and his chief deputy, Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California — known as “Young Guns” for the GOP — are undecided…Indeed, the tea party movement is a loaded political weapon for Republicans heading into the midterm elections. Until now, they have had the luxury of enjoying the benefits of tea party enthusiasm without having to actually declare membership. But now that Bachmann has brought the tea party inside the Capitol, House Republican leaders and rank-and-file members may have to choose whether to join the institutionalized movement.

Meanwhile, that darling of the tea party movement, Sarah Palin, continues to create controversy all on her own, most recently with her opposition to a plan to build a mosque near the Ground Zero site in Manhattan. Lori Ziganto of Redstate.com thinks Palin has it right:

On Sunday Sarah Palin, exhibiting common sense and courage of her convictions, called for a rejection of the planned mosque at Ground Zero. The planned mosque has been causing controversy, controversy that was easily foreseen by anyone with a brain and, you know, an ounce of true as opposed to feigned sensitivity. Apparently, this does not include a New York City Community Board nor Mayor Bloomberg.

Nearly two months ago, Manhattan Community Board 1 voted to approve the plans for a mosque to be built at ground zero. The vote was 29 to 1 in favor, although 10 chose to “vote present” by abstaining. Suffice it to say, the public had a few things to say about it.The alleged purpose of the mosque was to spread “healing.” The actual result? Not so much. So, you’d think that the plans would have been scrapped once that was crystal clear. But, nope. Of course not. Because it’s always sensitivity for me, but not for thee, to those on the Left. Enter Sarah Palin, who once again is displaying her uncanny ability of creating a national dialogue via social media postings.

She calls the idea of a mosque there a provocation. But it is her opposition to the building of a mosque that is provocative. The organization that hopes to build the mosque, the Cordoba Initiative, is a moderate Muslim group, striving for better relations between the Muslim and non-Muslim worlds. It is in the direct interest of American national security to strengthen those groups that argue against Islamism. Palin’s opposition to the mosque — and by extension, to the enfranchisement of moderate Muslims — is a gift to Islamists, proof to their potential followers that America is as intolerant of Islam as Europe is, proof that it is America, not Islam, that wants to see our civilizations clash. We as a society should embrace those Muslims who want to live the American dream; their lives, as free, devout and proud Muslims in a diverse country, are a refutation of the radical notion that the West is forever aligned against the interests of Muslim believers. Opposing the building of mosques by anti-jihadist Muslim groups in this country is perhaps the best way to radicalize American Muslims not otherwise prone to radicalization.

Comments (5 of 12)

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2:39 pm July 21, 2010

tdavis wrote :

I keep hearing about how some aspects of the Tea Party are extreme or not mainstream. I don't understand what the basis is for these characterizations. What is so extreme about smaller government? It seems to me that every politician since Jefferson has paid lip service to the principles espoused by the Tea Party so what is so unusual? Elected officials who are unwilling to recognize the boundaries of their office should be replaced. Basically, that seems to apply to a great many. Is that the extreme? That professional politicians should be reined in? There is a place in government for differing ideologies as long as those ideologies are grounded in the Constitution. That means there should always be some give and take. But the time is long past due when responsible Americans need to stand up and say that enough is enough and that the size, scope and powers of the federal government are just too much. We have a DoE that has failed in it's mandated purpose ever since it's inception. Time for it to go. Interior has taken on jobs that should have been done by DoE. Time to scale back. NEA and HUD are supporting ACORN? That's beyond their purview. Congress has established guidelines for legal immigrants and migrant workers. Homeland Security, DoJ and ICE should be enforcing those laws rather than engaging in a political sideshow to prevent a sovereign state from enforcing them. The federal government is out of the control of the people and is now the tail on the special interest canine. Time to neuter the beast.

1:37 pm July 21, 2010

Being kind doesn’t mean handing the executioner a sword. wrote :

Anyone who does not realize that Muslims like Hitler speak two tongues one of usurping the countries they live in in accordance with their fundamental Islamic obligation of Jihad namely one world under shariah law and a second to naive westerners (also part of Islamic law to lie to gain ground) is simply misinformed.

Being kind doesn’t mean handing the executioner a sword.

1:29 pm July 21, 2010

Nestorsky wrote :

Jeffrey Goldberg of the Atlantic wrote:

"But it is her (Sarah Palin's) opposition to the building of a mosque that is provocative."

Forget Sarah Palin for a moment and consider the sensitivities of the New Yorkers who will see the Mosque as a constant reminder of an emotion few of us outside of New York can realize. They have a voice and should be heard. Are their views provacative? Sarah Palin is only echoing what New Yorkers want, and there's nothing provacative about that.

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Capital Journal is WSJ.com’s unique site for analysis of the political and policy maneuvering in Washington in the era of Barack Obama. It features the Capital Journal columns and occasional other postings by executive Washington editor Gerald F. Seib, and will house Political Wisdom, the Journal’s daily aggregation of the smartest political analysis from around the Internet. Also look for regular columns by Peter Brown of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute and occasional contributions from others.